Combined pencil-sharpener and paper-weight



(No Model.)

7 A. THUBBER. COMBINED PENCIL SHARPENER AND PAPER WEIGHT.

Patented Sept. 17; 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED THURBER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED PENClL-SHARPENER AND PAPER-WEIGHT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,173, datedSeptember 17, 1889.

Application filed anuary 3, 1889. Serial No, 295 ,341. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED THURBER, of the city and county of SanFrancisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in CombinedPencil-Sharpener and Paper- WVeight; and I hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a device which I call a combinedpencil-sharpener and paperweight.

It consists of an exterior case of any suitable size and shape, open atthe top and having slotted sides, and in connection therewith of a blockfitted to close therein, and having a knob by which it may be handledfor the purpose of a paper-weight, and trunnions sliding in the slottedsides of the case, so that it may be turned and reversed within the caseto expose the pencil-sharpening mechanism, which consists of a knife andfile fixed to a lever fulcrumed at one side of the block, so that theknife and file may be moved over a slot through which the point of thepencil projects and sharpen the pencil with a drawing cut.

'It also consists in the peculiar construction of the knife and incertain details of construction, all of which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lis a perspective View showing my device as a paper-weight. Fig. 2 showsthe block turned in its case ready to be used as a pencil-sharpener.Fig. 3 is a section on the dotted line a: .5c,-Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is asection of the cutting-blade.

A is a case made of any suitable shape and size, and has a block Bfitting snugly into the top with a handle 0, so that when closed up thedevice may serve as apaper-weight. The block B has upon each side theprojecting pins D, which pass through slots E in the sides of the bOXA.These pins are situated sufficiently near to one end of the block B, sothat the latter may turn about them and be reversed, bringing the bottomor under side upward, and the pins are caused to slide alongt-he sidesof the case A until they reach the depressions F at the ends of theslots, where they will drop in and be held so as to prevent the blockfrom sliding forward or back.

The bottom of the block B is preferably shod with a smooth metal face,and upon one side of the block is fulcruined a lever G by means of a pinor screw H, which passes through one end and enters the block B. Inpractice I prefer to make the leverG with an angle bent upward at thefulcrum end, as shown in the drawings, and the knife or cutter 1 issecured to the lower side of the leverarm B by bolts or otherwise, withits edge approximately parallel with the side of the lever G. By reasonof the fulcrum-pin H being upon the bent end of the lever, when thelever is moved about this pin, the edge of the knife will move with adrawing out. The knife is bent at the edge, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4,so as to turn downward, and the under side of the blade is also slightlybeveled, as shown in the drawings.

The lever-arm G is slightly thicker where it projects beyond thefulcrum-pin H, and it is also made a little thicker beyond the oppositeend of the cutting-blade, so that when the fulcrum pin or screw H isscrewed down closely it draws the edge of the blade down to within ashort distance of the surface over which it is to move. A short file Jis fixed in the end of the lever G opposite to the ful crum-pin H andbeyond the end of the knife I, as shown.

A hole K is made in the end of the block B,

through the face of the block B in the form of an elongated slot, andwhen a pencil is introduced into the hole K the end will project throughthis elongated slot L, just beneath the lever G, and in such a relativeposition that when this lever is moved about its fulcrum the knife willpass over the end of the pencil, which projects through the slot, with adrawing out, thus shaving off the wood of the pencil so as to make acone of any desired length, depending on the angular position of thehole K in the block. As the knife is drawn back after each cut, thepencil is turned slightly, so that each succeeding cut takes off ashaving, until the wood of the pencil has been shaved away into the formof a cone, the load projecting beyond the edge of the cone. By changingthe angle of the hole K when it opens into the slot L it makes a supportfor the projecting lead and for the conical part of the wood when theknife passes over it.

By reason of the peculiar shape of the edge of the knife bent down, asabove described, and having the slight bevel on the under surface, itacts, when drawn over the pencil, to cut the wood clean, as no portionof the knife except the edge comes in contact with the wood.

It is manifest that by continuing the draw ing cut of the knife the leadmay also be pointed at the same time; but on account of the tendency ofthe lead to break, and for other reasons, I have found it preferable,after the wood has been properly shaped, to move the lever G a littlefarther in its are of a circle, which brings the file J in contact withthe lead, and the latter may then be pointed as desired by moving thefile back and forth over it. The two ends of the lever project slightlylower than the surface of the file and the edge of the knife, so thatthey will rest upon the surface through which the pencil projects, andwhen the fulcrumpin H is screwed into place it draws the lever down, sothat its outer end rests and travels firmly in contact with the plate,whilethe file and the edge of the blade are just barely clear of theplate and only act upon the pencil when the latter'is'pushed through theopening, as above described. All the chips and dust of the pencil willfall into the box A, where they may remain until a convenient occasionfor emptying them, and when the block B is again reversed, so that theknob is upward,

the device is closed up and serves its former purpose of paper-weight.

By reason of the peculiar bend and bevel of the edge of the knife noportion of the knife except the extreme edge touches the pencil, and ittherefore makes a clean drawing cut when the lever is moved about itsfulcrum and an even and symmetrical point to the pencil.

Then the block B is reversed, so as to expose the pencil-sharpeningdevice for use, the

pins or trunnions are slipped forward in the slots E until they dropinto the depressions or notches F, and they thus steady the block andprevent its moving while the pencil is being sharpened.

If desired, the pencil-sharpener may be attached to apermanently-inclined block either by itself or in connection with otherfixtures of a writing-desk; but the closed case is preferable on accountof cleanliness.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The exterior case and the reversible block fitting into the top ofthe case and provided with a pencil-sharpening knife or cutter upon itslower side, substantially as described.

2. A pencil-sharpening knife or cutter fixed to a block so as toreciprocate over a surface which is adapted to hold a pencil while beingsharpened, in combination with avbox or case to which said block isconnected so as to be reversed into the case, substantially asdescribed. Y

3. The block having an inclined hole made in one end, terminating in aslot upon the face of the block through which the point of the pencilmay protrude, and a knife or cutter swiveled orfulcrumed to the face ofthe block, so as to be reciprocated across the point of the pencil, incombination with a box or case having slots in the sides, andtrunnion-pins passing through said slots and attached to the block, sothat the latter may be closed into the box or reversed for use,substantially as described.

4. The block having an inclined hole made in one end and terminating ina slot upon one of the faces of the block, in combination with an arm orlever having one end fulcrumed to the block at one side of the slot, anda knife or cutter and a file fixed to the lower side of the lever so asto pass over the slot through which the pencil protrudes with a drawingout when the lever is moved, substantially as described.

5. The lever having the cutter and file fixed to its lower surface,having each of its ends projecting so as to rest upon the surface of theblock over which the lever moves and prevent the knife or file fromtouching said sur face, and having a fulcrum pin passing through thelever at a point between the projecting ends, substantially asdescribed.

6. The knife or cutter fixed to the swinging lever, having its edge bentor inclined toward the surface to which the lever is fulcrumed, andhaving the lower edge beveled, substantially as and for the purposeherein described.

7. The block having the inclined hole made in one end and terminating inan elongated slot upon its face, through which the point of the pencilmay be protruded, in combination with a leverfulcrumed at one side andslightly behind the slot, and having a knife and file section fixed toits lower surface, so that the wood and lead of the pencil may be cutaway, respectively, by the knife and file making a drawing out over thepoint, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALFRED THURBER.

WVitnesses:

S. H. Nounsn, H. 0. LEE.

